As you may (or may not) remember, we've always had something of a soft spot for Norwegian Cruise Line. Not because it's better, nor bigger, nor friendlier…just because it brought us back to cruising. We've been on five Norwegian ships, almost half the fleet, but that's about to change because five will soon no longer… Continue reading More New Ships for Norwegian
The Bizarre World of Captain Schettino
While it's possible that Costa Concordia Captain Francesco Schettino will be convicted of manslaughter over the death of 32 cruise ship passengers, it's also important to remember something about a rush to judgment. The respected news agency Reuters carried a story headlined "Italy cruise ship's captain tells survivors: I'm sorry". In the story, there is… Continue reading The Bizarre World of Captain Schettino
Gavin MacLeod, The Captain and More
Part 3: The post-Love Boat Years The TV series The Love Boat ran from 1977 to 1986. For the quarter century that has followed, both characters have continued to entertain television aficionados and cruise ship passengers alike. While there's so much more to Gavin MacLeod than Captain Stubing, they share one majorcharacteristic. If the Captain… Continue reading Gavin MacLeod, The Captain and More
Gavin MacLeod…aka Captain Stubing
Part 2: The Love Boat Years On the way to being captain of The Love Boat (in real life, the Pacific Princess), Gavin MacLeod was flown to Mexico for his first rendezvous with the ship. "They said we'd take my bags to the elevator," he remembers. "I said: 'Elevator?' I didn't even know there was… Continue reading Gavin MacLeod…aka Captain Stubing
Gavin MacLeod: His Remarkable Story
Part 1: Before The Love Boat At birth, he was named Allan See. In later years he would be called Happy Haines and Murray Slaughter and Merrill Stubing and Jonathan Sperry, among other public personas. More than any of them, he is Gavin MacLeod. Changing his given name to his current name was one of… Continue reading Gavin MacLeod: His Remarkable Story